Untitled 2022

Alevtyna Kakhidze made this drawing with simple lines and color washes, like she's thinking out loud on paper about war. You can see the urgency in the work. It's like a series of panels, each a little vignette of the conflict. Putin looms large, threatening with his nukes, while the Westerners huddle, wondering if the Ukrainians will give up. And the Ukrainians? They stand together, but their future is obscured by a big, black, painted-out question: “Could you stop to negotiate with the terrorist?” This drawing reminds me of artists like Philip Guston, who also used simple forms to address complex issues. Like Guston, Kakhidze isn't afraid to be direct and personal, and that makes the work all the more powerful. It also suggests a running commentary between artists about the weight of bearing witness. It’s not just a political statement, it's a human one.